~ Author of YA 'The Lost Realm' Series

Movie-Turned Books

(This is a post I made on my Tumblr page several months back, and decided to go ahead and share it on here as well.)

So within just the last year, I’ve been fortunate enough to watch several of my favorite all-time books get adapted into films. And if any of you are avid readers, pretty much, announcements like these are the biggest, most exciting moments of your life—I know, I’m easy to please.

And while I personally am more than ecstatic to eventually have the chance to see each of these MTBs (Movie-Turned-Books) on the big-screen, thanks to social media, I have seen that many fans do not share the same opinion.

Of course, these people’s unenthusiastic attitudes can be attributed to each MTB’s casting. After reading a book and falling in love with the characters (especially one of a series), people come to develop pictures in their minds of how their beloved charactersshould look.

It’s ok. We all do it.

But here’s where it gets ridiculous. I’ll come across a new still of whatever upcoming MTB they have posted, and my heart starts racing in pure excitement at witnessing such magic.

Then I stupidly find myself reading the comments.

85% of these comments are filled with straight-up hate for the cast, and complaints of how wrong/ugly/ too fat/short/whatever someone is for the character they’re playing. And while 10% of comments are extremely supportive of said cast member, that doesn’t excuse the other 5%, which never fail to be about how that’s not what whoever was wearing for that scene.

While I totally understand that if you’re a huge fan of an MTB, like myself, there comes a time when you need to simply keep your thoughts to yourself and just go with it. I’m not saying that I have never once expressed my disagreement towards a chosen cast member for a MTB, but that’s where I stop. There are, however, an amazing number of people who go so far as to write paragraphs about how whoever isn’t right for their role, and how they should pretty much just kill themselves.

Come on, people. What would y’all say if that person happened to read your comment? I just think people should give serious consideration to their words, and understand that although they may find themselves as funny, it always seems to be at another’s expense.

I encourage you all—assuming anyone actually takes the time to read this novel—to step back for a moment and simply appreciate that someone has taken the time to see what a fantastic story your favorite book is, and in turn, make it into a movie. They didn’t have to.

And maybe you don’t always agree with the people they choose to bring that book to life—I know I don’t always—instead of viciously insulting them, just be mature enough to sit back and accept it. What’s done is done.

Who knows?Maybe when you go to see whatever movie it is you’re upset about, you’ll find that you actually love those same people you despised only months before.